


Better Days

by Dracothelizard



Category: Heroes - Fandom, Top Gear (UK) RPF
Genre: Crack, Crossover, Gen, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-10
Updated: 2009-02-10
Packaged: 2018-01-11 21:02:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1177899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracothelizard/pseuds/Dracothelizard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the Top Gear presenters possibly have powers and ruin Mohinder's afternoon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Days

The problem with having a list with the contact information of people all over the world who might have special powers – which was highly unethical and Mohinder wondered how his father had managed to get his hands on that sort of personal information – was that it left one with a very high phone bill.  
  
Still, it was worth it for the chance to find proof that his father wasn’t the lunatic the scientific community thought him to be, and Mohinder had already found a couple of interesting leads.  
  
He dialled a British number, belonging to a Richard Hammond, and hoped he would be another interesting lead.  
  
“This is Mindy Hammond.”  
  
“Hello, this is Doctor Suresh speaking. I was wondering if Richard was home?” he asked.  
  
“Doctor? Oh, God, what’s wrong now?”  
  
She sounded quite panicky, and Mohinder hurried to reassure her. “No, no, nothing’s wrong,” he said. “I’m just calling because I’ve studied a gene sample of his, and something interesting has come up, and I would like to ask him a few questions about it. It’s nothing that will harm him.” It was a bit of a lie, but technically the mutation wouldn’t hurt him. The application of his powers might, but that was a bit too much to explain right now.  
  
“That’s a relief,” she said, sighing. “I’ll go and get him.”  
  
It didn’t take long for Richard to come to phone. “Richard Hammond,” he said, and sounded rather cheerful. “What’s this about genes?”  
  
“I’m Doctor Mohinder Suresh, and I’m a geneticist,” Mohinder explained. “Some time ago you donated blood, and allowed it to be used for scientific research. Well, that’s what I’ve been doing, and something interesting came up in your DNA.”  
  
“Interesting good or interesting bad?” Richard asked. “Because if you’re calling to tell me I’m going to die of some rare disease, I’d rather not know.”  
  
“It’s nothing like that,” Mohinder told him. “It’s a mutation that I’ve been researching, and the people who have it, have experienced some strange things recently. Have you experienced anything unusual lately?”  
  
Richard laughed. “You’re asking me if anything weird has happened to me? Have you got a couple of minutes?”  
  
***  
  
In the end, Richard had needed more than a couple of minutes, and after he had hung up with the promise to be in touch via e-mail, Mohinder thought he had definitely found an interesting lead.  
  
After all, how many people get into a car crash at nearly 300 miles an hour and recover in a matter of months?  
  
***  
  
After some more e-mails back and forth, Mohinder decided that he would have to go to Britain to get a proper sample from Richard. He had found some other leads in Britain to make the expense of the trip worth it, including a man who swore that he could understand animals.  
  
***  
  
On the day of his departure, Eden wasn’t at home, so Mohinder left a note on his desk saying where he had gone and why. Since she dropped by so often and still had the spare keys of his father, he thought she might get worried if he didn’t let her know what was going on.  
  
***  
  
Richard had taken Mohinder to his home-office, so that they could talk without being disturbed. “It’s not that I want to keep things from Mindy, but, well, I don’t want to worry her when we don’t even know what’s going on,” Richard said. “Have you found other people who can do weird things?”  
  
“I have some leads,” Mohinder told him. “I’ve met a boy who can go into other people’s dreams, and a man who could turn solid objects into liquids, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”  
  
Richard’s eyes widened at that. “That’s far more impressive than what I’ve got,” he said. “I just have some sort of superhealing power, and we’re not even sure I even have that.”  
  
“It’s handy in a fight,” Mohinder told him. “And it certainly helped with that crash.”  
  
“True, but I’d rather have the power of flight, or something, if only to annoy James.” He grinned. “James is a mate of mine, has his own pilot license and small aeroplane. I’d like to see his face if he sees me outside the window of his latest bucket of rust.”  
  
“We can’t choose our genes, unfortunately,” Mohinder said, smiling a little.  
  
“Speaking of genes, does this mean my daughters might have the same thing?” Richard asked. “Am I supposed to look out for it?”  
  
“There is a high chance of it being passed down, yes. But their powers might manifest differently from yours,” he explained.  
  
Richard nodded at that. “All right, I’ll be on the look-out for flying kids, then.”  
  
Mohinder took one of the swabs out of his bag, and handed Richard the tube. “It’s to get a DNA sample, all you have to do is open it and apply the swab to the inside of your cheek for thirty seconds,” he explained.  
  
Richard stared at him and the tube for a moment. “It’s that easy?”  
  
“To get someone’s DNA sample, yes,” Mohinder said. “There’s still some work into actually isolating the DNA, but this is all you’ll have to do.”  
  
Richard shrugged, and opened the tube. “I ‘eel a ih ‘illy,” he said, whilst rubbing the swab against the inside of his cheek.  
  
“Most people do,” Mohinder said, and watched as Richard put the swab back into the tube, putting the cap on it. “Thank you.”  
  
“Hey, it’s not contagious, is it?” Richard asked as Mohinder put the tube into his bag. “It’s not like the common cold, none of my mates are going to get this?”  
  
“No, it doesn’t work like that,” Mohinder told him. “Although for some reason the people who have strange powers tend to seek each other out. Like some force is trying to get them together. It might just be an instinctive reaction to seek out others like yourself.”  
  
“So, I could be friends with someone with powers?” Richard asked. “Someone who has also been experiencing weird things?”  
  
“It’s very well possible,” Mohinder said, and tried not to get excited at the thought of Richard actually knowing someone like that. “Why do you ask?”  
  
“Because that might explain a few things about James, and also about Jeremy,” Richard replied, and smiled.  
  
“Why, have strange things been happening to them as well?”  
  
Richard grinned. “Oh, I certainly think so.”  
  
***  
  
Mohinder felt amazed as he went into his room at the nearby bed and breakfast. Not only had he possibly found someone who could heal themselves, but also someone with pyrokinesis and someone who could manipulate time. This had certainly not been a wasted trip.  
  
Richard had told him that he was driving down to Guildford in a few days, and he would be happy to take Mohinder with him so that he could get some samples from Jeremy and James as well, since they were rehearsing and filming tomorrow.  
  
Until then, Mohinder would visit the other people he had contacted in Britain, and see if they really did have some special power.  
  
***  
  
The man who claimed he could understand animals certainly seemed to tell the truth. His pet dog Bruce also seemed to understand him, and when Mohinder had asked Steve to step outside the room and then ask his dog to bark to five, Bruce did exactly that. He repeated the process, but each time the dog flawlessly barked whatever amount Steve asked him to.  
  
His next test had been to hide objects from Steve’s living room. Bruce would see where Mohinder had hidden the object, and then Mohinder would send him to Steve in the hallway, where Steve asked Bruce where the object was, and went into the living room to find it. Each time Steve immediately went over to wherever Mohinder had hidden the object, and in the end, Mohinder was forced to admit that Steve could understand animals, or at least his dog.  
  
“Can you understand all animals?” Mohinder asked. “Because I can imagine that would be rather annoying, after all, insects are everywhere.”  
  
Steve shook his head. “No, I went to the zoo a few days ago, and I could only understand the mammals. I tried the reptiles and the birds, but I guess it’s limited to animals that are close to us biologically.”  
  
“Well, that’s a good theory, but it would require more testing to be sure. Perhaps when you develop your powers you will be able to understand reptiles as well,” Mohinder suggested. “It’s possible your powers will become stronger.”  
  
“I wouldn’t mind it staying like this,” Steve said. “Or I literally wouldn’t be able to hurt a fly.”  
  
“Then for your sake, I hope your powers don’t stretch to understanding all animals.” Mohinder made his goodbyes, and told Steve to let him know if anything changed with regards to his powers.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, back in New York City, Sylar had decided that now was the time to pay another visit to Mohinder. The last visit hadn’t been as fruitful as he had hoped, but a return visit would hopefully get him information on where to find other special people. And then there was the matter of Mohinder using him a guinea pig, which still required payback.  
  
As there was no one in the hallway, Sylar decided that breaking into Mohinder’s apartment was the best solution. Knocking on the door had revealed that Mohinder wasn’t even home, making this an excellent opportunity for a trap.  
  
The locks on these old apartments were never very difficult, and it took him only a few seconds of fiddling with a set of lock picks to open it. The apartment was still a bit of a mess, but Sylar assumed that Mohinder knew his way around it very well.  
  
His eye eventually fell on a note left on the desk with the rest of Mohinder’s research, explaining that Mohinder had gone to Great Britain to find someone who might have powers. A bit of searching through a pile of papers revealed that it was someone called Richard Hammond who might have healing powers.  
  
Healing powers. He could use those, and that attempt at getting them from the cheerleader hadn’t gone well. And he had always wanted to visit Britain, even before his power had revealed himself. He could kill two birds with one stone. Well, three if he counted Mohinder, who probably wouldn’t be far from Richard Hammond.  
  
Yes, this visit had certainly paid off.  
  
***  
  
Back in Britain and a few days later, Mohinder was in the passenger seat of Richard’s 911. One of Richard’s 911s, since he owned two. And some others cars. And other bikes. Mohinder was surprised that one person would want to own so many cars, but they were Richard’s passion and livelihood, which explained it somewhat.  
  
“Are you sure they won’t mind you bringing me?” he asked. “Isn’t there security on your set?”  
  
“Yeah, there is, but they’re not too bothered about the guests we bring in ourselves. I mean, a lunatic who wants to shoot Jeremy is hardly going to come in as my guest, are they?” Richard explained. “Don’t worry about it. If anyone asks, you’re a medical doctor checking if I don’t overexert myself at work.”  
  
“Hmm. And your friends won’t mind either? It’s a strange situation, after all.”  
  
“Oh, we’re used to strange,” Richard said. “I’m telling you, don’t worry. Jeremy will warm to you once he realises you just want to know if he can set things on fire just by thinking it, and, well, James might be a bit more difficult, but he’ll come round. I’m telling you, don’t worry.”  
  
Mohinder worried regardless.  
  
***  
  
Sylar had found Mrs. Hammond very helpful when he had visited them to ask about Dr. Suresh. It would be a bit difficult to get into an airfield used as a set for a television show, but it wasn’t impossible, and certainly not for him.  
  
***  
  
Once they reached the airfield, Richard’s predictions about security turned out to be right. Mohinder had to fill in a couple of forms and sign them, and then he received a guest pass.  
  
“Told you,” Richard said, as they drove on. “Don’t worry.”  
  
There was still the meeting with Jeremy and James that could go horribly wrong, so Mohinder continued to be a bit anxious anyway.  
  
After parking the car and getting out, Richard left him to a small wooden building on the airfield, away from the hangar. “That’s not the set, is it?” Mohinder asked. He had always thought those things would be bigger. The hangar seemed far more suitable.  
  
Richard laughed. “No, not at all. That’s the portacabin. It’s a backstage area of sorts, with extra clothes, and some coffee and tea. We store some things there, wait around, that sort of thing. Jeremy and James are probably in there, or outside if they’re smoking.”  
  
Jeremy and James were indeed outside smoking, leaning against the wall and talking to each other quietly. Richard shouted a greeting, and the other two men looked up. Mohinder smiled a little, trying to look harmless and friendly.  
  
“Who’s he?” the taller man asked, eyeing Mohinder. “And did he bring some Indian take-away with him?”  
  
“Not now, Jeremy,” Richard replied before Mohinder could say anything. “He’s a scientist. Into genes and DNA, so he could probably give you some horrible mutation if he wanted to.”  
  
“Don’t be stupid, Hammond, that’s not how it works,” Jeremy replied, but glanced at Mohinder nervously. “Right?”  
  
Mohinder just smiles. “There’s no limit to what science can accomplish,” he told Jeremy. It was true enough, at least. “You must be wondering why I’m here.”  
  
“You’re not Richard’s doctor, then?” the other man with the long hair asked. He must be James.  
  
Mohinder shook his head. “Not really. I came here because there was something interesting in his DNA, and from what I’ve heard about both of you, something interesting might be in your DNA too.”  
  
Jeremy had been looking at him intently. “James, I think we may have a miracle on our hands.”  
  
“Really?” James asked.  
  
“Yes,” Jeremy declared. “We’ve found the first man with teeth whiter than Hammond’s.”  
  
“I did not get my teeth whitened!” Richard exclaimed. “Just because you have a crap dentist doesn’t mean the rest of the world does.”  
  
“All I want is for you to come out of the closet, Richard,” Jeremy said, all mock-concern. “Wouldn’t it feel better to just admit that you whiten your teeth? James, you could join him.”  
  
“Yes,” James said. “And then you can come out of the closet as being gay. It’s the 21st century, Jeremy, no one will mind.”  
  
Mohinder coughed. “Can we please get back to our original subject?” he asked, wondering if the three men were always like this.  
  
“Which was?” James asked. “Because I don’t think we actually had one.”  
  
“Science,” Richard said. “He’s here for some science.”  
  
“Right, yes, our DNA. Is something wrong with it?” Jeremy asked.  
  
“Not wrong,” Mohinder said. “Just different. A mutation, one that’s quite harmless, I assure you. And you might not even have it.”  
  
Richard snorted. “Just wait until you get him close to a caravan,” he said, nodding at Jeremy.  
  
“Wait, what do caravans have to do with it?” Jeremy asked. “I know you think blowing up caravans is a science, Hammond, but I’m fairly certain actual scientists disagree.”  
  
Mohinder was tempted to ask Richard about this blowing up of caravans, but thought this would probably lead them even further away from his actual goal. “Yes, Richard, how are caravans involved?”  
  
“Because he always sets them on fire,” Richard simply said. “And you wanted to know if he could set things on fire, right? There you go.”  
  
“Wait, he’s here to watch Jeremy set things on fire? How is that scientific?” James asked. “I can set things on fire, it’s not that difficult.”  
  
“Yeah, but Jeremy can do it without matches or a lighter,” Richard said. “Or at least we think so.”  
  
Jeremy started to laugh. “That’s the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. A mutation that means I can set things on fire just by thinking it? That’s not possible.”  
  
“Only a few days ago I met a man who could understand his dog. Really understand him, and other animals too,” Mohinder said. “I’ve met people who can turn solid objects into a liquid, or have super hearing. The possibilities are endless. I think Richard has some sort of healing ability.”  
  
“It would explain a lot, Jeremy,” James said quietly. “The doctors did say it was a medical miracle.”  
  
“That doesn’t prove anything, besides, Hammond didn’t fully heal, did he?” Jeremy pointed out. “And what do you think May can do, anyway?”  
  
“Manipulate time,” Mohinder said.  
  
“Oh, now, that I’ll believe,” Jeremy replied. “You probably slow it down,” he told James. “It explains why, whenever you go on about your aeroplane, it feels like hours have passed when it’s only been five minutes.”  
  
James didn’t dignify that with an answer. “Richard, you can’t be serious. There’s no such thing as people with superpowers. We’d know about it, it’d be on the news and in the papers and everywhere.”  
  
“The ones I met keep it a secret,” Mohinder explained. “They don’t want to deal with all the attention and the people thinking they’re mad. Besides, it seems to be a fairly recent development. My father has spent most of his life researching this, and he never found anyone with a power. I’ve only been doing this for a few months and I’ve got more actual leads than he ever had.”  
  
“Just suppose,” Jeremy said, after some silence, “just suppose that we believe you. What do you want us to do?”  
  
“Well, I’d like a sample of your DNA, and, if possible, a demonstration of your powers. After that, I’ll be out of your hair and you never have to see me again, if that’s what you want.”  
  
“Sounds reasonable,” James replied. “We’re on a long break anyway, they’re sorting out some technical issue with the lights inside.”  
  
“Oh, all right,” Jeremy said, throwing down his cigarette, stepping on it firmly. “At the very least it means I’ll get to set fire to a caravan.”  
  
***  
  
Sylar had been able to sneak inside quite easily. He had found a hole in the fence surrounding the airfield, and with his telekinesis it wasn’t difficult to make it big enough for him to climb through. Now all he had to do was find Mohinder and that Richard Hammond, and try to get them alone.  
  
***  
  
They had eventually found an old caravan in a part of the hangar that was used for storage, and while Jeremy was ready to set it on fire there and then, Mohinder thought it might be safer to do it outside, and even then he refused to start the experiment until Richard had found a fire extinguisher.  
  
“Safety is very important,” Mohinder told an impatient Jeremy. “We can’t let this fire get out of control.”  
  
“Well, you seem to think I can control it, so that shouldn’t even be an issue,” Jeremy said.  
  
James snorted. “Come on, Jez, if you can control that fire, there’s no way you’d actually keep it under control.”  
  
“It’d be a good test for you, May, to see if you can manipulate time to slow the fire down, and then we can put it out. Or throw Hammond into it and watch his super healing.”  
  
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Mohinder said, hoping Jeremy had been joking. “Let’s just stick to the testing of one ability, shall we?” Now that he was getting to know Jeremy a little bit better, he hoped that the man had no pyrokinetic abilities. He had overheard Jeremy telling James that he would use his ability to set fire to road users that annoyed him, and Mohinder would feel terrible knowing that he had been the one to bring Jeremy in touch with his power.  
  
“I don’t know if this one still works, but it was the first I found,” Richard said, carrying a fire extinguisher with him. “Let’s start.”  
  
Mohinder didn’t like the sound of that, but he thought that sending Richard for another extinguisher would lead to Jeremy trying to set Mohinder on fire, and he couldn’t take the risk of Jeremy’s ability actually working like that. “All right,” he said. “We should probably all stand back a bit further.”  
  
“I think that’s an excellent idea, Mohinder.”  
  
“You?” Mohinder asked, turning around and seeing Sylar stand in the doorway to the hangar. “How did you get here? How did you know I was here?”  
  
Sylar sauntered over to them. “You left a helpful note,” he said. “And Mrs. Hammond was more than happy to tell me where her husband had gone with Dr. Suresh.” He smiled. “I thought I would surprise you.”  
  
“Is he your boyfriend?” Jeremy asked, looking impatient. “And does he have some superpower?”  
  
“I have several,” Sylar told him, ignoring the boyfriend remark. “Would you like me to demonstrate?”  
  
“No, Sylar, don’t, I’m not even sure if they have abilities,” Mohinder said quickly, hoping that would be enough to deter Sylar. “They could be powerless.”  
  
“I think I’d like a demonstration, yes,” Jeremy said, folding his arms. “Because so far I’ve seen no evidence of anything except for Hammond and you two being mad.”  
  
“Very well,” Sylar said, and made Jeremy fall against the side of the caravan. “That was my telekinesis. It has many uses.” He reached out his hand and extended a finger, and blood started to appear on Jeremy’s forehead.  
  
“Sylar, don’t!” Mohinder shouted, and tried to attack Sylar, but he was sent flying and fell down hard on the concrete.  
  
James had run away, taking advantage of Sylar leaving the doorway. Mohinder had no idea where he had gone to, but hoped it was to get a security guard with a gun of some sorts. He watched as Richard tried to sneak up on Sylar, obviously planning to hit him with the fire extinguisher, but Sylar sent him flying too. It was enough to stop him from slicing Jeremy’s forehead open completely. “You two are being far too annoying,” he said. “I can’t control all three of you.”  
  
Jeremy was clutching at his head, blood seeping through his fingers. “What the hell was that?” he shouted. “What did you do?”  
  
“That was some more telekinesis,” Sylar said. “I collect powers, you see, of those who don’t use them. What is your power?”  
  
“We don’t know if he even has a power!” Mohinder shouted, standing back on his feet. The fact that Sylar wasn’t strong enough to use his powers on all three of them had brought some hope. “He’s probably useless to you.”  
  
“You could be right,” Sylar admitted. “I don’t like wasting my time.” He turned to Richard, who had got back up as well, and still had his hands on the fire extinguisher. “I should’ve gone for you. You’re the one with the healing power.”  
  
“That hasn’t been proven either,” Mohinder said. “I haven’t had time to analyse his DNA sample.”  
  
“But he was on your list. And he’s the reason you’re here,” Sylar pointed out, still looking at Richard. “No, I think you’ve got plenty of evidence he has healing powers, and you just want the DNA as extra evidence.”  
  
“That’s not true,” Mohinder shouted, but Sylar moved his arm and before he knew it, Mohinder had slid through the door to the hangar, and Jeremy swiftly joined him. Then, the door slammed shut. Mohinder jumped up to try to open the door, but it was closed.  
  
“Is he going to do to Richard what he did to me?” Jeremy asked. The bleeding had stopped at least, but he was going to need medical attention soon. “What did he mean, he collects powers?”  
  
Mohinder sighed. “For the past months he has travelled around America, finding people who have powers. He kills them and, well, I don’t know what he does, but he acquires the powers of those he kills.”  
  
“And he wants Richard’s healing power?” Jeremy asked, getting up. “He can’t kill Richard!”  
  
“Well, unless we find a way to break through that door, he probably will,” Mohinder said. “Is there another way to get there?”  
  
“Probably, but first we’d have to find another door leading outside, and then we’d still have to run around the hangar to get to them,” Jeremy said.  
  
“Then we need to hurry,” Mohinder told him. “You know the way around here, where’s the nearest door outside?”  
  
Jeremy looked at him with desperation. “I don’t know, we don’t never really go here.”  
  
Mohinder stared at him, and he could hear Richard scream outside. “He’s going to die,” he said quietly. “He’s going to die and there’s nothing we can do.”  
  
“This can’t be happening,” Jeremy muttered, wiping a hand over his face. “It can’t.”  
  
Mohinder knew that feeling very well. He could only look at the door separating them from Richard as the screaming – interspersed by swearwords – continued.  
  
“Okay, that really can’t be happening,” Jeremy said, in a surprised tone of voice.  
  
“What?” Mohinder turned to see what had Jeremy switch from desperation to surprise, and what he saw was James running towards them, with someone in white overalls and a white racing helmet running along with him. “Who’s that?”  
  
“That’s the Stig,” Jeremy said, sounding proud. “James must’ve got him.”  
  
“But what can he do?” Mohinder asked. The Stig didn’t seem to be armed in any way he could see.  
  
“Where’s Richard?” James asked, coming to a halt and panting. “Why are you in here?”  
  
“The madman is outside slicing Richard’s forehead open,” Jeremy said, pointing at the door. “He threw us in here.”  
  
The Stig had already stalked towards the door even before Jeremy had finished talking, and the door flew open with one wave of the Stig’s hands.  
  
James, Jeremy and Mohinder ran over to the doorway as the Stig walked outside. A surprised Sylar looked up at the disturbance. “Not again,” he said. He gestured towards the Stig, but nothing happened.  
  
Mohinder smiled at Sylar’s shocked face. “Not so powerful now, are you?” The Stig had to be another human with powers. It was amazing that four people with powers had been drawn to each other. He’d really have to research that at some point.  
  
Jeremy and James hurried over to drag Richard away from Sylar. “Hammond, are you okay?” James asked, his fingers on Richard’s neck to check for a pulse.  
  
“I’m fine,” Richard snapped. “Took you lot bloody long enough!”  
  
“What is it you do?” Sylar asked, staring at the Stig. “Do you block other powers, is that it?”  
  
The Stig remained silent, but he did tilt his helmet, and Sylar sagged onto the ground, unconscious.  
  
Mohinder walked over to check on Sylar. There was still a faint pulse, but he didn’t respond to his name or even to a firm slap. “This is amazing,” he said quietly. The Stig appeared to have several powers. He just hoped they hadn’t been acquired in the same way Sylar used.  
  
Richard had scrambled back to his feet, pushing away from Jeremy and James, who were still concerned. “You should’ve let me had a go at him,” he told the Stig. “I could’ve taken him if he didn’t have his powers.”  
  
The Stig merely stared at him.  
  
“I could’ve,” Richard said stubbornly, wiping some of the blood away with a sleeve. “Easily.”  
  
“How long will he remain unconscious?” Mohinder asked, still keeping an eye on Sylar.  
  
“As long as Stig wants him to be,” Jeremy said, again with a hint of pride. “And I think he will have some trouble taking people’s brains for some time, right, Stiggy?”  
  
The Stig, again, didn’t react, but Jeremy laughed.  
  
“Two weeks? He’s not going to like that much,” Jeremy grinned.  
  
“Wait, is he communicating telepathically?” Mohinder asked, looking at the Stig at the other three men. “How many powers does he have?”  
  
“Yes, he does, and as for your second question, we have no idea,” James replied. “He can probably do anything he wants, so we’re lucky that all he wants to do is drive cars really fast.”  
  
Mohinder walked over to the Stig, trying to see behind the visor, but he could only see his own reflection, looking curious. “Can I do some research on you? Or just a DNA sample?” he asked. “Because I haven’t met anyone even remotely like you yet, and you could hold so much answers.”  
  
The Stig took a step back.  
  
“He doesn’t like scientists,” Richard said. “Especially not the ones who want to do research on him.”  
  
“But it’s only a DNA sample,” Mohinder insisted, still looking at the Stig. “It won’t hurt, I promise, and, well, I have a lot of questions I want to ask, but that’s all.”  
  
“He’s warning you,” Jeremy said. “He really doesn’t like scientists, and he really doesn’t want to cooperate with you. If I were you, I’d drop the subject.”  
  
“But why?” Mohinder asked, getting impatient. Here was someone who could be so valuable to his research, and they were being completely unreasonable. “Richard, you tell him how easy it was to give me a DNA sample.”  
  
“Oh, no, I’m not getting involved, mate,” Richard told him. “I’ve been through enough for one day.”  
  
“Stig, I understand you’re nervous about this, everybody is once they hear the word ‘research’,” Mohinder told Stig. “But absolutely no harm will come to you. It would be incredibly helpful for me if you could just –” And then, there was a very bright flash.  
  
***  
  
Mohinder woke up feeling a little bit groggy. The last thing he remembered was the Stig being unhelpful. “Where am I?” he asked, and he noted that his voice sounded a bit different.  
  
“In the portacabin,” Richard told him, smiling. “We’ve got a nice, comfy sofa in here, and we thought it was best to put you on there for now.”  
  
Mohinder nodded. “Where’s Sylar?”  
  
“Oh, on the floor in there,” Richard said, nodding at another room. “He’s come to as well, though. Don’t worry,” he said, as Mohinder sat up immediately. “He’s still powerless.”  
  
“Good,” Mohinder said. He felt a bit different too. Not ill, just different in some way. “What happened? I remember a bright flash, and then I woke up here.”  
  
“Look down,” Richard said, clearly trying not to laugh. “And don’t say we didn’t warn you.”  
  
Mohinder did as Richard said, and couldn’t quite believe his eyes. Or his hands. “This can’t be real. This is impossible.” There were some lumps on his chest that he would call breasts if they had belonged to a woman, but since he wasn’t a woman he refused to call them that.  
  
“Just wait until you go to the toilet,” Richard said. “That’s the real shocker.” He sounded as if he knew what he was talking about.  
  
“I still don’t believe it,” Mohinder told him, and got up to find a toilet. Walking felt different, and he was ignoring the feeling that something was missing between his legs. It was just Richard trying to wind him up for trying to get the Stig involved in the research, that was all.  
  
He found a toilet, locked the door, and pulled down his trousers. Then he let out a scream that no one could even remotely call manly.  
  
***  
  
“I hate you. I hate you so much,” Mohinder muttered. Richard had been kind enough to drop him off at the airport with his luggage, and Sylar had come with them, seeing as how he did need the ride and he was harmless at the moment.  
  
“All I did was point out how your passport wouldn’t be valid,” Sylar said innocently, trying not to smirk. “I thought it was very kind that the Stig changed it for you.”  
  
“Oh, yes, and now it will become useless once I’m myself again in a couple of days,” Mohinder exclaimed. “Thank you so much for that!”  
  
“Like they would’ve let you through with your old passport claiming you were a man,” Sylar pointed out. “And I think Maachli Massala is a wonderful name.”  
  
“It is not a name,” Mohinder hissed angrily. “He took it from an Indian take-away menu!”  
  
Sylar burst out laughing at that. “I think I’m beginning to like Stig,” he said. “I may even forgive him for blocking my powers temporarily.”  
  
“How gracious of you. And just so you know, I am not sitting next to you on the plane. I want nothing to do with you,” Mohinder said, and started to walk faster, hoping to lose Sylar.  
  
“But Mohinder, I’m supposed to keep an eye on you. What if something happens to you, a woman travelling all alone?” Sylar said, sounding far too smug about this. “I’d feel guilty for the rest of my life.”  
  
Mohinder spun around. “Trust me, it will be far worse if you do keep an eye on me. You will stay as far away from me as possible!”  
  
A man in the waiting area looked at them after Mohinder’s last outburst. Sylar smiled at the man. “All I did was tell her to hurry up with the duty-free shopping,” he said, shrugging, and the other man smiled, and went back to reading his newspaper.  
  
“I hate you even more now,” Mohinder said, unable to believe how much Sylar seemed to be enjoying this. “I thought it wasn’t possible, but I do.”  
  
“The feeling’s mutual,” Sylar said. “It’s your fault I’m powerless now. If you hadn’t left a note, I would never have followed you.”  
  
They then spent the entire flight arguing as to whose fault it actually was, and once in New York City, before Mohinder forced them to split up after hitting Sylar a lot with his hand luggage, they decided that it was clearly the fault of the Stig and his three friends, and that it was best to avoid the United Kingdom entirely in the future.


End file.
